Deep-water Black Box Retrieval - 04/12/2009
A Game of Hunt-the-pinger Against the Clock
Nigel C. Kelland (retd), Hydrographic Society (UK)
Restricted operating life, limited range and bearing ambiguity in deep water are the known limitations of current locator beacons mounted on aircraft. These problems raise important questions: what is the best method of locating existing pingers and what can replace them? In deep water, pinger detection equipment could be installed on a submarine. Alternatively, a transponder beacon can provide both range and bearing information, as well as demonstrate a significantly longer listening life. Although heavier and therefore not suitable for light aircraft, commercial aircraft could easily accommodate such beacons allowing easier retrieval of the aircraft black boxes.
In the July/August issue of Hydro INTERNATIONAL, a news feature was published shortly after the crash of Air France Flight AF 447. Following the research into the crash, this article focusses on the deep-water black box retrieval.